Color shade guide for artificial teeth



April 19, 1932. s m E COLOR SHADE GUIDE FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH Filed May 29, 1929 FIG". 2.

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gqkisaflfowu Patented Apr. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES LAKE I-I. SPRINKLE, 0F BROOKLYN, YORK COLOR SHADE GUIDE FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH Application filed May 29, 1929. SeriaLNo. 366,948.

My invention relates to improvements in color shade guides for artificial teeth, and it consists in the novel features, which are here inafter described.

One of the objects of my invention is to reduce the cost of color shade guides.

Another object of my invention is to dispense with the tabs or strips of metal, which are connected to the teeth of color shade guides in use at present, thereby enabling dentists to more closely match shades of color by placing teeth of the shade guide closer to the teeth of the patient.

A further object of my invention is to reduce the size of a color shade guide, whereby it may be more conveniently carried about and handled by the dentists.

Another object of my invention is to make more perfect and easier the task of matching colors by eliminating the interference of the reflection of metal tabs with the visibility of any shade of color of the teeth on the guide.

A further object of my invention is to reduce the cost of the replacement of lost teeth on a color shade guide.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

I attain these objects by the color shade guide for artificial teeth, one form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, or by any mechanical equivalent or obvious modification of the same. 7

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view on a larger scale of my color shade guide for artificial teeth, omitting the teeth on the guide. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing only two of the set of teeth on the guide. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

11 designates the main body of acircular tray, which has thereunder, near the periphery thereof, a circular channel 12, and is shown as having a circular cut-out 13 at the center thereof.

Other than circular trays may be used, if desired.

H A passage 14 is enclosed by said channel 12 and communicates with the surface of said main body llby means of a circular slot or opening 15, which is narrower thansaid passage 14, for a purpose, which is hereinafter described.

Said passage 14 serves for housing the heads 16 0f pins 17 of artificial teeth 18, whereby the latter are retained on said tray and may be moved in a circular path thereon '00 by moving said pins 17 in said slot or opening 15, said heads 16 preventing the detachment of said teeth 18 from said tray.

, To insert said pins 17 into said opening 15 and to remove them therefrom I provide 66 on'the body of said tray an extension 19, which has thereunder a channel22, which is an extension of said channel 12.

v A passage 24 is enclosed by said channel 22 and forms an extension of said passage 14; said passage 24 communicates with the surface of said extension 19 by means of a slot 25, which is an extension of said opening 15.

Said passage 24, and slot'25, are open at the outer'end thereof, wherethrough said pins (5 17 with their heads 16, may be inserted and removed if desired. V

The outer end of said channel 24 is shown in Fig.3 as having a tongue '26 slit out of the bottom part thereof,to serve as a spring for holding said heads 16 in position against said extension 19, whereby said teeth 18 may be kept in place at the end of said extension 19, for matching the color thereof, if desired.

Said extension 19 with said channel 22 are shown as straight in Fig. 1; but they may also have any other shape, if desired.

The pins 17 may be baked into said teeth 18 or connected thereto in any other suitable way, if desired.

One or more pins 17 may be employed for each tooth 18.

A set of teeth is placed on the tray 1112, and, whenever any particular tooth is de- 7 sired to be removed, the entire set or any part of it may be slid in a circular path on said tray until the pin, or pins, 17 of the desired tooth comes opposite the slot 25, whereupon said tooth is moved outwardly on said extension 19 until its pin or pins pass out of 109 said slot 25, or until said tooth reaches the end of said extension 19, where it may be held by said tongue 26.

In a similar way a tooth or any number of teeth of said set may be placed upon said tray, by passing their pins through said slot and into said slot or opening 15.

Many changes may be made in my color shade guide for artificial teeth without departing from the main scope of my invention, and parts of my invention may be used without other parts.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a color shade guide for artificial teeth a holder for tooth simulating members, each mounted on a pin having thereon a head, said holder having therein a slot making a complete circuit, for engaging said pins therein, said slot being narrower than said pin heads and said heads being disposed rearwardly of 7 said slots, and the holder having therein an outwardly extending second slot of similar cross-section, communicating with said first mentioned slot and an automatic means on said holder whereby the pins may be introduced through said second slot into the first mentioned slot and prevented from falling out.- I

2. In. a colorshade guide for artificial teeth, a holder for tooth simulating members, each'mounted on a pin, having thereon a head, said holder having therein a slot, making a complete circuit for engaging said pins therein, said slot being narrower than said pin heads, and said heads being disposed rearwardly of said slot, the holder having an outwardly extending second slot of similar cross-section communicating with said first mentioned slot and provided with a catch, whereby the pins may be introduced into the first mentioned slot and prevented from falling out.

- LAKE H. SPRINKLE. 

